STANFORD, Calif. – With a berth in the Oracle ITA National Team Indoor Championship at stake in the season opener, the 13th-ranked California men's tennis team shut out Miami (Fla.), 4-0, on Saturday at Stanford. Yuta Kikuchi, ranked 34th, beat the Hurricanes' 63rd-ranked Adria Soriano Barrera, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, to clinch the win. The Golden Bears (1-0) next face the host Cardinal in the Kick-Off Weekend final on Sunday for the right to advance to national indoors.
 
"For our first match of the season, I felt we played well today," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "Miami is a talented team that played aggressively today. Our doubles still need some tweaks, and I feel we're making a lot of progress in that regard. In singles, we did a good job of attacking short balls and finishing at the net.
 
"Looking forward to tomorrow. We have a history of high-level, exciting matches with Stanford, and tomorrow will be no exception."
 
Cal won two of three matches in doubles, with the Bears' 22nd-ranked pair of Ben Draper and Bjorn Hoffmann beating Soriano Barrera and Francisco Bastias, 7-6(4), to clinch the point.
 
In singles, Cal got wins from Paul Barretto – who beat Bastias, 6-0, 6-4 – and the 49th-ranked Jack Molloy – who topped Dane Dunlap, 6-4, 6-2 – to take a 3-0 lead, before Kikuchi ended the match.
 
The Bears play 11th-ranked Stanford on Sunday at 2 p.m.
 
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
 
No. 13 California (1-0) defeated Miami (Fla.) (3-1), 4-0
Jan. 25, 2020, in Stanford, Calif.
Taube Family Tennis Center/South Courts
 
Doubles
1. No. 9 Franco Aubone/Benjamin Hannestad (Miami) def. Yuta Kikuchi/Jack Molloy (Cal), 6-3
2. Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal) def. Dane Dunlap/Bojan Jankulovski (Miami), 6-4
3. No. 22 Ben Draper/Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Francisco Bastias/Adria Soriano Barrera (Miami), 7-6(4)*
 
Order of Finish – 1, 2, 3*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 34 Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. No. 63 Adria Soriano Barrera (Miami), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4^
2. No. 49 Jack Molloy (Cal) def. Dane Dunlap (Miami), 6-4, 6-2
3. Kent Hunter (Cal) vs. Benjamin Hannestad (Miami), 6-4, 2-6, 5-5 Unfinished
4. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. Francisco Bastias (Miami), 6-0, 6-4
5. Ben Draper (Cal) vs. Bojan Jankulovski (Miami), 7-6, 4-6, 1-2 Unfinished
6. No. 81 Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) vs. Franco Aubone (Miami), 4-6, 6-4, 3-2 Unfinished
 
Order of Finish – 4, 2, 1^
^Clinched the overall match